WeChat has become a good platform for online payments, but some foreigners may have reservations about online shopping in China. In the past, WeChat payment required a bank account opened with a Chinese ID card. That obviously prevented foreigners from taking advantage of cheaper goods sold online. But today is different, now foreigners can sign up for WeChat payment with a bank account opened with their passport. However, not all banks allow people from abroad to sign-up for WeChat payment. These still require a Chinese ID and the process gets you stuck. Here, Yoyo He guides you how to sign up for WeChat payment.

Things you should know before we begin:1. First you need to have a WeChat account. You can go to http://weixin.qq.com/ to download it for free and register for an account with your mobile phone number.2. Have your passport and visa card ready and bank account info on hand, make sure youhave text notifications set up with your bank.3. Make sure you know the exact spelling of your name for the bank account, including any spaces, punctuation or abbreviations (some foreigners have long names that don’t fit in the banks’ computer system and thus have been oddly truncated).4. Make sure your phone number has already been registered at your bank for online payment.The following procedure assumes you have a bank account with Industrial andCommercial Bank of China. The process is similar for other banks.

Step 1:

First of all, you should add your credit or debit cards through the“Me” to “Wallet” menu in WeChat.

Step 2:

After you enter the wallet, simply press the “Add Card” option and follow the procedure.

Step 3:

The next menu will just ask for your card details, you should type in your card number and tap next.

You will receive a verification code via SMS, type it in and click next.

Step 6:

Now you need to set your WeChat payment password for payment verification and confirm it.

Congratulations! You will see the following page indicating that a card has been added successfully.

Now, come to check out what things to do in Shanghai with your WeChat Payment:

As Tencent is creating a massive platform for online shopping, all these awesome features are easier and easier to access. Hopefully this article was helpful for every foreigner who plans to stay for a longer period of time in China.